Degreasing Engines and Killing Brain Cells
by Trin303
Summary: A drunk Neo, an evasive Trinity, and the only question that matters: Does Trinity think Neo is the One? Rated T for language and adult situations.


Hello lovelies!

I'm sorry I haven't been posting much. I've been super busy with my job search and classes but I'm graduating college in a little less than two months and my thesis, which has taken up most of my life for the past year and a half, will be finished as of April 15. Updates to Matrix Redux will be coming soon as well as the publishing of my new story, a college AU of the Matrix which I have been working on for about two years on and off. In the mean time, here is something to tide you over that I wrote over spring break.

Best,

Trin303 3

Neo stumbled into the kitchen, his hand over his eyes trying to block the fluorescent lighting.

"Are you okay?"

Neo bit back a curse. Of course, it had to be her awake when nearly everyone else was asleep. He looked up and sure enough, Trinity was sitting at the table. Her eyes peered over a book.

"M'fine." He mumbled. He needed to get out of there fast before he made a fool of himself more than he already had. Still, he didn't want to just walk out and leave- that would be rude. He moved to follow his original plan and walked over to the sink, taking a mug off of a nearby shelf. And moved to poor water when the mug slipped from his hand.

Trinity caught it. Neo hadn't heard her get up but now she was only a step away. Close enough he wouldn't even have to reach out to touch her and her scent clouded him. In a world of engine grease and metal, she was the only thing that smelled sweet.

"You don't look fine." Her eyes were narrowed as she looked him over. "You're flushed." Trinity reached up, placing the back of her hand against his forehead. "You don't feel too warm."

"Really…" Neo said, concentrating on his coherency. "I'm okay." He hoped the words sounded less slurred to her than they did to him.

She removed her hand, still watching him curiously. She breathed in and her eyes lit up in understanding. "Neo, have you been drinking?"

He shrugged a shoulder, "Didn't have much."

"Doesn't take much if you're drinking from Dozer's shit. We use it for cleaning engines. Where did you even find it?"

Neo blinked. _Where did I get it?_ He had passed out for a couple hours after failing the jump. Then he had woken up and, finding himself unable to go to sleep, had walked around the ship. Then he had found… Cypher? In the Core? Had Cypher given him the alcohol? Yes, that was right.

And then Neo had laid down, the few sips that he had taken enough to nearly wipe him out. He remembered the feeling that everything was spinning, nausea, and then the desire for water that had brought him to the kitchen. To her.

Trinity.

The Trinity. Who was definitely not a man? That much was usually evident but especially so in her dark tank top. It cut low, showing her beautiful creamy skin. He was entranced by her collar bone, by the pale skin where her shoulder met her neck. Each and every shadow was enough to make him weak at the knees. The urge to put his mouth on her skin was growing.

She was so beautiful….

"Neo?" She asked.

"Hmmm?" he snapped out of it. "Wha' was the question?"

"The alcohol? Where did you get it?"

"Oh. Cypher gave me some. Sai' it good shit."

Trinity muttered something under her breath, taking his forearm in her hand. "Come on. Sit down, I'll get you some water."

"M'fine!" he repeated, a little more stressed. She gave him a little push and he fell to the seat below with an _umph_. "Jus' hit me harder than I 'xpected."

"It's one of the only substances in Zion that can cut grease. A sip is enough to make anyone woozy, let alone a first-time drinker."

"Not a first-time drinker. I used to live on beer." He pointed out.

She filled his cup with water and then turned to give it to him. "You're forgetting- those drinks weren't real. This is your first time having alcohol ever. And like most things, the Matrix tries to get it right but they can't."

Neo sipped the water, again fighting the nausea. He would not, under any circumstances, vomit in front of her. Again. She was still watching him, though. She leaned against the sink, her arms folded across her chest. The paleness of her arms stood out against the dark material of her top but then, he remembered, her skin had never been touched by the sun.

He looked down, sighing. The sun. It had never occurred to him to pay much attention to the bright daytime star. It was always there, something he had counted on to always be there. But now it was gone. Like so much else in his life.

"Neo? Are you okay?" Trinity's voice was softer than usual and he wondered, idly, if it was because she was taking pity on the drunken newbie. Still, words he never meant to say came pouring out to her. In a way that he didn't understand, he trusted her.

"Everything is so different." He spoke the words clearly, looking up to meet her eyes.

She nodded in understanding. "Yes, it is."

"It… it keeps hitting me, ya know? S'like… I'm never going to drink coffee again. Or spend a Saturday watching cartoons with my cat." His eyes widened and his expression became a serious one. "My cat! Was my cat even real?"

Trinity schooled her face so that she wouldn't smile. "No, she was just a program. The machines didn't save any animals to use as batteries."

"So all the animals are dead?"

He looked so sad at the prospect and Trinity found herself moving closer to comfort him. She put a hand on his shoulder as she sat down next to him on the bench seat. "Some were saved. There are animals in Zion now, although they're mostly only bred to keep the species alive. And if you really want a cat, I'm sure that can be arranged."

"Really?" He smiled hopefully at her and she couldn't help but smile back.

"Really. Zion… it isn't like the Matrix. Things are the same but they're just a little bit different. There are plenty of teas but, no, you probably won't ever have coffee again. Or pizza or…" She thought for a moment, "shrimp. And I won't lie to you, there are parts of this world, the _real_ world that suck. You'll be freezing on ships like this one or you'll be burning up in Zion because it's so close to the core, and there is no in between. You'll be stuck eating food that is pretty tasteless and bland compared to the Matrix. You'll find that it's hard to find a moment of quiet anywhere because so many people are crammed into so tight space. But there's good here, too."

Neo nodded, "I know. I'm just…" he struggled for the right word.

"Overwhelmed?"

He bit back a laugh, "Yeah, that's it. 'Parently I'm s'posed to save the world." Trinity's eyes widened at his statement, but Neo continued, his voice dropped down low, "Do you know how many fish I've killed because I've forgotten to feed them? I can't keep a damn fish alive. Now I'm s'posed to save the world."

"Did Morpheus tell you that?" Trinity asked him, her voice hardening.

"Thinks I can dodge bullets." Neo nodded. "Don't know how to tell him I can't. I'm too klutzy."

"I'm sorry." She put her hand on his and Neo felt a jolt at her touch that shook him to his core. "He shouldn't have told you that yet."

"So you don't think I'm the" he put air quotes around, "One?"

She flushed and pulled her hand back, "I didn't say that. Just…"

"Just what?"Neo reached for her hand, not letting her take it back just yet. Her skin was soft, much softer than he expected considering the kind of hands-on work he had seen her do on the ship. He used his thumb to stroke her palm and took delight when she shivered.

Still, Trinity didn't meet his eyes as she said, "You have enough on your plate. Most of the kids we rescue have been in there for fifteen years. You've been there for thirty. You've had twice as long to get used to life in the Matrix. Twice as long to travel and experience life, twice as long to make connections with people. Anyone can understand how big of an adjustment this is for you."

"It's a lot to take in." He confessed, solemnly. "Some of it is easier than others."

"And some of it sucks."

"But not all of it." Neo was quick to add. "Some of it is good. Really good." At the time, in his head, he blamed it on the alcohol but when he sobered up he would acknowledge that the alcohol was just an excuse. A reason to let the words slip off his tongue because he might never be brave enough to say it to her again, "You're the best part of this place."

For the second time that night, she blushed. "You're drunk."

"Yeah." He flashed a grin, "but being drunk just makes me honest. Always has."

She shook her head, "You're forgetting- you've never been drunk before."

"Maybe not." He agreed. "But it doesn't make it any less true."

Her hand slipped out of his grip and he mourned the loss of contact for only a moment before she intertwined their fingers. Neo looked down at their hands and then up at Trinity. Her face revealed nothing but her actions spoke volumes.

"You're going to be okay, Neo." Her words of assurance warmed him even though she wasn't looking at him.

A thought kicked him and he remembered, "You never did answer me."

She blinked. "What was the question?"

"Do you? Do you think that I'm 'the One'?"

"I think you have enough to deal with without worrying about that."

"Are you always this evasive?"

"Yes."

Neo laughed, "come on. It won't hurt my feelings if you don't."

The silence stretched between them, Neo watching her carefully while she pretended not to notice his stare. Finally, she opened her mouth to answer when a throat cleared in the doorway.

Cypher was there, a smirk that Neo could in no way associate with friendliness on his face. "Am I interrupting?"

"No." Trinity was quick to respond as her hand slipped away from Neo's. "But perhaps you can tell me why you thought it a good idea to give Neo moonshine?"

Cypher rolled his eyes, "The boy had a sip. He's fine."

"A sip is enough to get Mouse up on the table stripping to Switch singing the Divinyls _I Touch Myself_."

Try as he could, Neo couldn't get that particular image out of his head.

"Neo's heavier than Switch or Mouse."

"And he's younger than both by way of the real world. Again: what were you thinking?"

Cypher stepped into the room, "I was thinking that the man deserved a drink after being told he's supposed to save the world. Besides," he leered at them, "He looks like he's doing pretty well from where I'm standing."

Trinity ignored the last remark, "Just don't make it a practice to get newbies drunk."

"Yes, ma'am." Cypher continued to the sink, pouring himself a mug of hot water. He reached up to the tea and began fixing himself a cup.

A silence fell between them. Neo's head felt heavy, a fact he was growing more aware of now that the distraction of talking with Trinity was gone. He wanted to curse Cypher from the moment he had cleared his throat.

She still hasn't answered his question but that was now something that he could blame on Cypher and bad timing. He was almost positive that she was going to open up to him.

Cypher finished stirring his tea and tossed the spoon carelessly in the sink. "Night kiddos. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

They say in silence until Cypher's footsteps stopped and a door closed somewhere down the hall. "I, um, I should probably go to bed too." As she said the words, she looked over at Neo. "You probably should, too. I imagine you'll be training again tomorrow."

"With you?"

"No, with Morpheus. Usually, I do hand to hand training and Apoc does weapons but Morpheus wants to train you himself."

While Kung fu with Morpheus had been an exciting experience, he found himself wishing that Trinity had taught him that lesson.

"Oh."

"You're learning very fast. Morpheus is impressed, as is everyone else."

"Are you?"

If the question phased her, she didn't let it show. "Yes."

That word alone made him feel like he could fly. A thought flickered through his mind _if she believes in me, maybe I am the One._ But she probably didn't. He was probably just projecting his own hopes onto her.

"Come on," she said, standing up. "Let's get you to bed." She put a hand under his upper arm to help him stand.

He didn't think he needed her help to walk but he wasn't an idiot. He had no intention of saying anything that would make her stop touching him. Christ, she was beautiful.

He let her guide him down the hall and towards his room. With one hand, she was able to turn the tumbler that took him both hands. Trinity guided him into the room and to the bed.

"Get some rest." She told him as he sat down on the hard cot.

Trin started to leave but he caught her hand, one last time. Just in case he never had the courage or the opportunity again.

"Thanks for taking care of me."

She smiled, squeezing his hand. "Anytime." Trinity hesitated before bending down and kissing his cheek. "Goodnight, Neo."

Neo brought his hand up to her face, tracing her jaw and winding his hand in her hair. Her lips parted, whether in surprise or anticipation, he didn't know. There wasn't time to dwell on it before he lost his courage.

And so, still a little inebriated and definitely out of his depth, Neo kissed her.

She tasted unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Trinity was sweet and tangy and altogether real. Her lips were soft and they parted more. He felt her tongue caress his upper lip and it was all Neo could do not to groan. His body was tingling, certain parts becoming very aware of her proximity. He moved his head back every so slightly to put a final peck on her lips.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Eyes closed, noses pressed against each other. Neither dared to breathe and break the moment.

But Trinity did, pulling back and standing up straight. "Get some rest."

She backed up and turned, leaving the room and Neo alone. He let out a breath and laid down on the cold cot.

The One or not, he had no doubt that he was the luckiest man alive.


End file.
